Research and development of the present invention and application have not been Federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.
Not Applicable
1. Field of Invention
The present invention pertains to mailboxes and their support post, and more particularly to full service, locking curbside mailboxes that comply with U.S. postal regulations and are theft and weather resistant, have a highly visible identification means, are attractive and safe, and are easy to install.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many people take mailboxes for granted. Mailboxes have become virtually invisible to most people. The reason being, the majority of curbside mailboxes are usually ugly breadbox shaped containers held up on a wooden post or metal stake. People have few alternatives to depend upon to hold the valuable information that mail often contains about their personal lives. This personal, and most times, confidential information is accessible to any unauthorized person who merely opens the mailbox door. Due to the increase of mail being stolen from mailboxes, identity theft has escalated to the extent that it is being called the crime of the 21st century. Resulting from the growing occurence of mail theft, the U.S. Postal Service has introduced a new locked mailbox classification that will provide customers with an option to purchase mailboxes that offer increased security for their mail. Many people are concerned with mail theft but may not be handy or just don""t have the time to replace their mailbox. The U.S. Postal Service has standards for curbside mailboxes, but it does not regulate the design of mounting accessories for mailboxes. The Postal Operations Manual states that a mailbox shall be provided with a means for convenient and locked mounting that meets all applicable requirements set forth in the Postal Operations Manual. It also states that the installation and construction of curbside mailboxes shall conform to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Postal Service as well as standards established by the Highway Department""s Task Force of Highway Safety.
Prior art locking type mailboxes are known in which the body of the mailbox has an elongated receiving neck leading to a lower storage chamber. The length or angle of the mailbox or a blocking element inside the body of the mailbox serve to prevent any unauthorized person from removing the mail by trying to reach into the lower storage chamber. Prior art locking type mailboxes are also known to have a lockable door on the lower storage chamber that is located on the front, back, or side of the body of the mailbox. Examples of such known prior art devices are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 354,610 to Hassan, U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,999 to Fitzgerald, U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,378 to Dorr, U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,974 to Clopper, U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,519 to McClure, U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,388 to Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,505 to Grimes, U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,113 to Kim, U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,979 to Mann, U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,736 to Parker, U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,484 to Carlson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,960 to Jeffs, U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,115 to Hassan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,132 to Bachmeier, U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,993 to Morris, U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,883 to Pachl, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,626 to Berry, U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,891 to Wildish, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,344 to Earle.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a Postmaster General approved locking mailbox and means of installation which has many of the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new locking mailbox which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the known prior art mailboxes either alone or in any combination thereof. None of the known prior art provides a highly visible and uniform address channel; a unique rear access door that acts as a hasp, has a built in mechanical key lock and can accommodate an additional lock on a flange for added security or convenience; is provided with an attractive, convenient, safe, and easy means of installation; and is a theft and weather resistant locking mailbox that is safe to use while complying with U.S. postal regulations and the Highway Department""s Task Force for Highway Safety. Thus, the need exists for an improved, aesthetically pleasing, safe and simple to install and use, locked, weather and theft resistant mailbox, that allows for highly visible identification and mail storage, and is approved by the Postmaster General.
Accordingly, besides the objects and advantages of the locking mailbox described in our above patent, several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
(a) to provide an improved full service locking mailbox that has incoming and outgoing mail compartments that are weather and theft resistant located behind a single carrier access door;
(b) to provide an attractive, uniform, and highly visible means of displaying an address not only for delivery personal but also for Emergency Services;
(c) to provide a lockable mail access door on the back side of the mailbox so a person authorized to retrieve mail does not have to enter a street or roadway in front of the mailbox and expose themselves to danger or create a safety hazard;
(d) to provide a mailbox that is deep enough so an unauthorized person cannot reach down to remove mail, and has a large enough storage area that can hold mail for a period of time while the owner is away;
(e) to provide a full service locking mailbox that has all the standards required by the U.S. Postal Service and thus can be approved by the Postmaster General;
(f) to provide a safe, attractive, simple in design and operation, inexpensive to manufacture, and structurally stable locking mailbox;
(g) to provide an optional means of locking the rear mail access door; and
(h) to provide an easy, safe, and attractive means of installation that is approved and recommended by the Highway""s Task Force for Highway Safety.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
The present invention provides a full service locking mailbox that is safe, weather and theft resistant, has a highly visible address display channel, a unique rear access door, and a post cover assembly for attractive, quick, safe, and easy installation. The locking mailbox and post cover assembly are preferably constructed of a type of plastic material. The material""s thickness, form, and mechanical properties will more than adequately meet the operational, structural, and performance requirements set forth by postal regulations. The material the locking mailbox is constructed of will not be toxic, flammable, transparent, or hazardous in any way. The body of the full service locking mailbox is a vertically extended rectangular housing leading to a lower mail storage area. The shape of the body of the locking mailbox is deep enough for mail to drop to the bottom so that an unauthorized person cannot remove it. The top of the locking mailbox extends slightly beyond the carrier service door in the front. In the back the top slopes and extends slightly beyond the rear access door creating overhangs that act as barriers for moisture from entering the locking mailbox.
Mailboxes are not only used for incoming mail delivery and outgoing mail pickup, but also as a means for identification. Should street names and numbers be assigned by local authorities, a postmaster authorizes their use as a postal address. The number is then used as a means of identifying a location, usually a residence or business. This number according to postal regulations must be inscribed in a contrasting color and in legible numerals at least one inch high on the side of the mailbox that is visible to the carriers approach. Emergency Services require three inch numbers to allow for easy identification of a location. The top of the body of the locking mailbox includes a dovetail channel that is designed to hold highly visible address numbers that are affixed to plates that slide into the channel so that delivery and especially emergency personnel may quickly and easily locate a residence. The address plates with numbers affixed to both sides are highly visible by all approaches. A carrier signal flag, used to indicate to the carrier that outgoing mail is present, is made of a plastic material having no sharp edges and having a minimum visible area of 4 square inches when engaged. It is mounted on the right side of the mailbox when facing it from the front, as required by postal regulations.
Both the incoming and outgoing mail compartments are located behind a single carrier service door in the forwardly extended top part of the body of the locking mailbox. The single carrier service door provides access for incoming mail delivery and outgoing mail collection. The carrier service door has an easy-to-grip handle located within the top third of the door and operates freely and solely by pulling outward and downward. The door and the opening for the door have a built-in seal that provides protection against wind, rain, sleet, and snow. The carrier service door is held closed by a means such as a magnet. The carrier service door, when open, swings further than 180 degrees but will come to rest no further than 180 degrees, as required by postal regulations. The carrier service door has no protrusions other than a handle and magnet. Neither of these will interfere with delivery nor present a safety hazard. On its exterior, the carrier service door will have permanent markings that read US MAIL and APPROVED BY THE POSTMASTER GENERAL as required by postal regulations.
The outgoing mail compartment is located under the incoming mail compartment. The incoming mail, when inserted, drops behind the outgoing mail compartment and falls to the bottom of the vertically extended rectangular body into the storage area. The incoming mail can be retrieved by an authorized person through a lower lockable rear access door. The locking rear access door is located in back of the mailbox in order for an authorized person to remove mail away from any passing traffic so as not to expose themselves to danger or create a safety hazard. The entire bottom area of both the incoming and outgoing mail compartments where the mail rests is fabricated to prevent mail from being damaged due to compensation or moisture. The resulting surface area that touches the mail does not exceed 0.25 square inch per dimple or impression and is a minimum of 0.12 inches high on centers not exceeding one inch, as required by postal regulations. The upper back wall terminates a short distance below the slanted top of the locking mailbox body to allow for an opening to access mail. The upper back wall performs the function of stopping the rear access door and retaining a flange for the rear access door to fit over. The locking rear access door of the locking mailbox is designed for an authorized person, not the mail carrier, to access delivered mail. The rear access door does not interfere with the normal delivery and collection of mail by the carrier, and is not susceptible to being forced open by large items inserted through the carrier service door. The locking rear access door has the same type of built-in seal as the carrier service door has to provide protection against harsh weather. The rear access door is held closed by a built-in mechanical key lock. An easy-to-grip handle is located on the rear access door so that it may be pulled open with little force. A small opening near the mid top of the rear access door fits over a flange that is part of the upper back wall of the locking mailbox. The opening fits over the flange and allows the rear access door to act as a hasp that can hold an optional padlock or combination lock. This construction allows for added security or convenience. The rear access door can be double locked for added protection of mail, or single locked using a combination lock on the flange if the owner desires not to carry a key or give access to key for someone authorized to remove mail.
A post cover assembly in accordance with the present invention includes a telescoping post cover preferably made of the same material as the locking mailbox. The Highway Department""s Task Force for Highway Safety states that the ideal support is an assembly which, when struck, will bend or fall away from the striking vehicle instead of severely damaging the vehicle and injuring its occupants. Supports that bend are most desirable although 100 mmxc3x97100 mm wood post may be used. Mailboxes should be properly attached so as not to become missiles if impacted. The design of mailboxes and their support have a direct correlation to the damage and injury caused by a vehicle""s impact. The telescoping post cover assembly is made to slide over a wooden post and/or a metal ground engaging stake and adjusts to the height needed for proper installation as set forth by postal regulations and the Highway Departments Task Force for Highway Safety. The post cover assembly has a raised ridge running longitudinally along opposite sides of the telescoping body. This raised ridge allows the telescoping post cover to slide into or out of itself and contributes to the initial positioning of the mailbox. The locking mailbox has a mounting channel located under the carrier service door that extends vertically to the bottom of its body. A recessed groove runs vertically along opposite sides of the mounting channel. The locking mailbox is engaged to the post cover assembly by the raised ridge in the post cover sliding into the recessed grove in the mounting channel. Fastening means such as screws can be inserted to penetrate the post cover, the wooden post and/or the ground engaging stake through an open rear access door allowing for easy, inconspicuous and secure mounting. An alternate method of installation provides a means of attaching the locking mailbox to a multiple mailbox support by means of inserting a fastening means such as screws to penetrate through the multiple support and into the bottom of the outgoing mail compartment.